


the date.

by pyroallerdyce



Series: captured moments. [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, First Dates, Nervous Ben Solo, One Shot Collection, Professor Ben Solo, Short One Shot, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22406812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyroallerdyce/pseuds/pyroallerdyce
Summary: The conversation had been odd, in Ben's eyes, because all Rey wanted to talk about was literature, and Ben really wanted to talk about anything but that.  He was intelligent enough to realize that literature was a safe topic, and he knew that he should have just stuck with a safe topic, but he wanted to know more about Rey than what she thought ofPride and Prejudice.  Still, he couldn't actually bring himself to talk about anything else because he didn't know how to talk about anything else, and because of that, he had no idea whether he could consider this to be a successful conversation or not.or:  It's time for Ben and Rey's first date.  Ben is nervous.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: captured moments. [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602691
Comments: 14
Kudos: 69





	the date.

**Author's Note:**

> the long-awaited first date has arrived.
> 
> and as always, if you like what you read, please let me know via a comment or kudos or bookmark so that I know I'm not writing into a void. Enjoy!

Ben had no idea if the evening was going well. 

He'd picked Rey up for their date and been struck by her beauty once more. She had a blue dress on that clung to her just right and all sorts of thoughts that Ben didn't want to have on a first date had entered his head. He'd spent a good portion of the drive to Corellia trying to shove those thoughts to the back of his mind, and once they were seated at a table and Ben couldn't just leer at her like a creep, he was successful in doing so.

The conversation had been odd, in Ben's eyes, because all Rey wanted to talk about was literature, and Ben really wanted to talk about anything but that. He was intelligent enough to realize that literature was a safe topic, and he knew that he should have just stuck with a safe topic, but he wanted to know more about Rey than what she thought of _Pride and Prejudice_. Still, he couldn't actually bring himself to talk about anything else because he didn't know how to talk about anything else, and because of that, he had no idea whether he could consider this to be a successful conversation or not.

Once their food was served, Ben concentrated on eating it instead of on the awkward conversation he felt he'd been involved in, and that's when Rey started asking questions that Ben didn't really ever want to answer, no matter who he was talking to.

But he decided to answer them anyway.

“Did you grow up here?” was Rey's first question, and Ben nodded.

“Yes. My whole family has lived here for centuries. Well, Grandma's side of the family doesn't. She met Grandpa when she came here as a student.”

“That must be nice, having all of them around,” Rey said, and Ben heard a wistfulness in her voice that he wanted to know more about but knew that it wasn't the time to ask. “I already know that your uncle is Luke Skywalker and your father and grandfather are lawyers. What about the rest of your family? What do they do?”

“Grandma used to work in the law office with Grandpa, but they're both retired now. My father took the office over when my grandfather retired, so he's still working as a lawyer. And my mother was able to be a stay-at-home mother with me because of my father's successes, and now she spends most of her time as a volunteer at the elementary school near where they live. She just loves being around little kids, which probably explains why she's so desperate for a grandchild.”

Ben cringed the moment he said that, but Rey just smiled. “I can understand that. I think most mothers start feeling like that as their children grow older.”

“Does your mother feel that way?”

Rey's smile became forced. “No.”

Ben sighed. “I'm sorry. I just made you relive whatever that is again, didn't I? I didn't mean to.”

“You're still the only person who has ever apologized to me for that,” Rey said softly. “And it's alright. You don't know.”

“I stand by my offer to listen should you want to talk about it.”

“And I appreciate that,” Rey said, smiling genuinely. “I probably will take you up on that offer someday. You'll need to know if this goes anywhere, and I really hope that this goes somewhere.”

Ben was the one smiling genuinely after that. “I really hope so too. But it's been a long time since I've done anything like this.”

“Why is that?” Rey asked as she reached for her glass of wine. “I can't imagine someone as great as you are hasn't had the opportunities to go on a lot of dates.”

Ben sighed. “My aunt.”

Rey gave him a confused look. “You haven't been on a date because of your aunt?”

Ben took a deep breath and told himself that she needed to know what she was getting into, so he was going to answer this no matter how much he didn't want to. “Luke's wife Mara was one of my favorite people on the planet. She just got me at times when it felt like no one else in my family did, and she always was there for me. And then there was an accident and she was gone. It hurt me more than anything but seeing how much it hurt Luke just made me want to close myself off from ever having to experience that kind of pain again. So I've tried to avoid getting close to anyone because of it.”

Rey sat there for several moments, and Ben thought he was never going to breathe again because telling someone that was really the last thing he'd ever wanted to do, but then she reached across the table and took his hand. “I am so sorry to hear about Mara, Ben. I really am.”

“It's alright,” Ben said, reaching for his drink. “You didn't know.”

“I didn't know, but I understand,” Rey said, squeezing his hand. “The reason for that is the thing I don't like to talk about, but since you just told me about her, I promise I will tell you about that someday. Just not tonight.”

Ben nodded and took a very long sip of his drink. “You don't have to.”

“I want to,” Rey said, moving her hand away. “But I am sorry to hear about her. I cannot really understand why that would make you want to reject the idea of love though. I'd think that you'd want to find someone who understands you the way she did.”

“That's what everyone tells me, but I am the kind of person that does not enjoy pain of any kind, and I just do not want to experience it. I have heard so much over the years about how I need to figure out how to move past that, but I just have never met anyone that was worth it. But you...you're worth the risk.”

Rey smiled at him. “That's flattering. Thank you.”

“I mean it,” Ben murmured. “You're the first girl that's caught my eye in a very long time.”

“So how long is a very long time?”

Ben swallowed hard. “My last relationship ended right before I graduated with my Masters and that was almost eleven years ago.”

Rey just sat there silently again and Ben started wondering if he was having a heart attack because his heart was beating so quickly. This was why he didn't have conversations like this. This was why Ben knew that he was weird. He didn't know how to do things like this.

“And you think I'm worth it?” Rey asked quietly. “All the people you must have met, and you decided to do this with me?”

Ben was instantly confused. “Yes. You're amazing.”

Rey offered him a weak smile. “I can't understand why you think that, but thank you.”

Ben stared at her for a moment before he reached across the table and took her hand. “Rey, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. You've captivated me from the first moment we met. No one has done that to me. Ever. Not even the last girl did that.”

Rey felt her cheeks warm. “Thank you.”

“I told you, you're worth taking the risk,” Ben said. “And I don't take risks.”

Rey took a deep breath and reached for her glass of wine, taking a big sip. “Well, I'm glad that you've taken the risk. I'm glad that I'm taking it too. I might not have the reservations that you do about it, but it's still a risk for me.”

Ben squeezed her hand and let go, smiling at her. “Then we're just going to have to make the most of this so that we don't end up getting hurt.”

Rey smiled back. “I think that's a great idea. So, tell me more about your family. What kind of law does your father practice?”

Ben settled into the conversation after that, glad that the more serious topics were veered away from and things he was more comfortable talking about were the focus. He learned that Rey loved tea and scones in the mornings and a bowl of chocolate ice cream every night, and that she was happier working at the café than she had been in a long time. Ben confessed that he probably drank whiskey too many times a week because of his students' horrible essays, but that he always limited himself to one glass and no more, which prompted Rey to say that whiskey was her favorite drink when she went to a bar. They found more in common after that, favorite movies and bands and songs and tv shows, and by the time that they were leaving the restaurant, Ben felt closer to Rey than he'd felt to anyone in years.

Then again, he hadn't let himself get close to anyone in years, so that thought was probably accurate.

When they got in the car, Ben realized that he really didn't want the night to end, and he looked over at Rey before starting the car. “Want to find somewhere to go have chocolate ice cream?”

Rey smiled prettily. “I'd really like that.”

So Ben drove them to his favorite ice cream shop, prayed that Snap wasn't working that night, and then they went inside. Because Ben's luck was what it was, Snap was standing behind the counter when they walked in, and Ben could tell by the smirk on his face that Snap was about to embarrass him. “Ben Solo walking in with a girl. I thought I'd never see this again.”

Ben swallowed hard. “Snap, stop.”

“Oh no, that's not happening,” Snap said, shaking his head. “You must be pretty special. Ben never does this.”

Rey felt her cheeks warm. “So I've been told.”

“We came to get some ice cream, Snap, not do to this,” Ben said forcefully, making Snap laugh.

“There is no fucking way that's happening and you know that. So, what's your name? I haven't heard about this happening at all.”

Ben took a deep breath. “Snap, this is Rey. Rey, this is Poe's extremely annoying friend Snap. We all went to college together.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Rey offered, and Snap grinned in response.

“You know Poe? Excellent. That means Poe likely knows all about this and I shall be talking to him about it later.”

Ben groaned and Rey laughed. “I work at the café,” she explained. “Poe's my boss.”

A look of realization came over Snap's face. “Oh, so you're the waitress. Okay.”

“The waitress?” Rey asked.

“The one Ben's been going ga-ga over,” Snap explained. “Poe keeps telling me about that. So you finally did something about it! That's excellent news, Ben. It's been forever and a day since you've wanted to actually do that.”

Ben glared at Snap. “Stop it. Now.”

“What? If she's going to be your girlfriend, then she needs to be ready for what it's like to be your girlfriend,” Snap said, sighing when he heard his name called out from the back. “I have to go deal with that, so you're lucky, Solo. First, though, let's get you some ice cream.”

They both ended up with a dish of chocolate ice cream before Snap disappeared into the back, and Ben collapsed into a chair and ran his hands over his face. “Fuck, I hate him.”

“No, you don't,” Rey said, shaking her head. “And it wasn't that bad.”

“Yes, it really was, and it's only going to get worse,” Ben said, sighing. “I am going to be terribly embarrassed and you're not going to want to go on another date.”

“Ben,” Rey said, making him look up at her. “I want to go on another date. Nothing Snap says will change that.”

“Really?” Ben asked, and he hated how vulnerable he sounded. He hated how vulnerable he felt too.

But Rey just smiled. “Yes, really. Though I don't think Poe's going to give me time off for another date any time soon. He's still having problems hiring people.”

“I wonder why that is,” Ben murmured. “But that is not a concern for tonight. And Poe probably would give you time off for it. I wasn't kidding when I said his mission in life is to find me a girlfriend.”

“We'll just have to plan something for a time when we're both available because I desperately need the money that I'm getting from working so much right now. I was happy we were going to dinner tonight because it meant that I could stretch the food that I bought out a day longer.”

“You really have that hard of a time getting by?” Ben asked, wincing. “Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that.”

“It's fine, Ben,” Rey said, spinning her dish around in her hands. “And yes, I do. I need to move somewhere I can afford better, actually. I had a much different amount of income when I moved into my apartment. The only way to get that back is to make up with my grandfather, and I don't see that happening any time soon.”

“Your grandfather was giving you financial support?”

“Yes. He wanted me to come work at the university though, and I didn't want to do that, so during our latest argument about it, I told him to fuck off and he immediately cut me off. The next day, my asshole boss fired me, and it's been a rough time ever since. But, my lease is up in a month, so I can find somewhere else to move to then. I just need to make it through another month.”

“Have you thought about getting a roommate?”

“Everyone that I know already has a place to live, and I am not really comfortable with the idea of having a stranger move in with me,” Rey explained. “But I've been talking to Finn about getting a new apartment, and he has suggested that we find one together, so I need to see if he's serious about that or not.”

“You seem to know him very well.”

“We went to high school together. He was really my only friend.”

Ben just shook his head. “You deserve all the friends in the world, Rey.”

“So do you,” Rey pointed out. “But you isolated yourself and I isolated myself. It's apparently just our thing.”

“Well, I don't want to isolate myself from you,” Ben forced himself to say. “And I mean that.”

Rey smiled. “I don't want to isolate myself from you either. And, therefore, we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen.” 

“I like the sound of that,” Ben said, smiling back.

Snap came out of the back a moment later, and Ben sighed heavily. This was not going to be good.

But Rey pushed her chair back and stood up, picking up her paper dish and smiling at Ben. “Ready to go, Ben?”

“Really?” Snap groaned. “Just when I can get some answers about this?”

“Sorry, Snap,” Ben said, standing up. “You'll just have to get them some other time.”

“That better mean there's a second date, Solo, because Poe and I will kill you if there isn't.”

Ben looked over at Rey and smiled. “Yeah, there's a second date.”

Snap grinned. “Then enjoy the evening, kids.”

Ben rolled his eyes and followed Rey out of the shop, watching as she took another bite of her ice cream. “We could have stayed in there, you know.”

“Yeah, but then you'd have to deal with your friend, and I'm really enjoying our date being just us,” Rey said, smiling at him. “Do you want to go walk through the park? It's such a nice night out. We can find a bench and finish our ice cream there.”

Ben looked across the street at the park before nodding. “That sounds great.”

They went to the park and finished their ice cream, and then Ben took Rey back to her building. They sat in the car in the parking lot for a moment before Rey took a deep breath and turned to face him. “Ben?”

“What?”

“I would like to end this evening with a kiss. Is that alright with you?”

Ben looked at her for a moment before nodding, and then they leaned across the console and shared a sweet kiss. When the kiss broke, Ben saw a smile on her face, so he smiled back at her. “That was nice.”

“That was very nice,” Rey confirmed. “I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Are you coming into the café?”

“Yes,” Ben said without thinking. “I'll come for dinner.”

“Then I'll see you tomorrow too. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Rey,” Ben said as she opened the door and got out of the car. 

He waited until she was inside her building before driving off, but on the way back to his apartment, all he could think about was that kiss and how great it had felt. And just like that, he knew he was lost.

But he wasn't complaining about it.


End file.
